Gen X Musings: In the Garden of Memory
By Patricia Racine
October 2026
There is a cottage on an island in the center of a New England pond that is crying. This cottage has been sitting there for generations and has always been full of love and joy; it has sheltered young couples, children, grandchildren and elderly couples in its white walls and inviting porch. It has sheltered me in times of need. This is a place you need to plan to visit but its guardians were always there with an open-armed welcome and a diet cherry Dr. Pepper.
At the height of summer you were received on the screened in porch that was actually a room where all the summer living took place. Guests were entertained, lazy afternoons with either a bodice ripper or historical account novel were read while listening to classical music, and meals were eaten on this porch while gazing out on the pond. In the crisper autumn days of September you were invited into the house for meals in front of the wood stove surrounded by mementos of a life well lived, softly illuminated by candlelight.
Photo by Patricia Racine
The cottage was the summer domain of one of the most queenly women I have ever known. She ran a well-oiled, neat, loving home and sat in state on her antique couch, always ready to give sage advice. She was the epitome of a great lady in every sense, and an inspiration to every younger woman who met her. She inspired me to be a stronger woman in a feminine way, not a feminist way. She truly lived up to the standards set by previous women with her name, Eleanors of Aquitaine and Roosevelt, both incredibly strong, intelligent women who changed history.
When I received the call of her passing from her son, I was brought to my knees in shock; to say I wasn't prepared for her passing was an understatement. I have been flooded with memories of the sound of her posh voice, of sitting across from her at Chandler's Restaurant for a fancy luncheon, of politely eating raisin pie even though I despise raisins, of discussing trashy novels like they were the classics.
All the everyday moments that she made special. And once I get a handle on this feeling of loss, I will remember that I am supremely lucky to have been loved as a daughter by this great lady. Eleanor the Great, as I always thought of her. OO
"In the garden of memory, in the palace of dreams … that is where we will meet."
—Lewis Carroll